Originally Posted by
Boomer
ALPA isn't in the same league as the UAW, and here's why...
Ford can't just shut down a UAW plant and move the tooling across the street and start a new plant using non-UAW labor. Company-wide, no Ford UAW members would come to work the next day. Sure, there would be grumbling and fighting amongst the membership about how much money Ford could save, profit sharing, competing with Toyota, etc, but Ford production (and profits) would grind to a stop overnight. Of course, the UAW has no RLA.
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Exactly why unions in America need to go away. Instead of paying a worker 80k for sitting around doing nothing (UAW here), elsewhere the companies are paying half, and making money. Now, from a business model, which America needs to figure out (Detroit and its manufacturing), we can not make money this way. Home building the same way. I would love to hire these guys (union), but these other guys here will cost me 15k cheaper to build this home. You can't do business that way. No wonder we don't make anything anymore, and our owned by China.
Now ALPA and the airlines are a tough and different realm. There are in house union, ALPA, teamsters, none, etc.. You are only as successful as your company. Again, why I have enjoyed watching some of the in house companies do well. ALPA can't do well, they have counteracted their goal for the past twenty years. You can't represent the regionals, and also the majors.
The future of the industry? It all depends on the economy, and the buying power of the public, oil, and about a dozen other factors. But anyone that thinks the magic hiring boom and huge pay raises are behind the corner, I unfortunately think you are mistaken. I hope I am wrong.